PETALING JAYA: Following the incident of a collapsed wall in Bentong hotel, where an elderly man and a child were injured while 90 hotel guests were evacuated, the Malaysian Institute of Architects or Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) stressed that all new and existing building structures in Malaysia must be strictly regulated.

Accordingly, the Uniform Building By-Laws (UBBL) 1984 enacted under the Street Drainage and Building Act 1974 requires that:

a) All new buildings require submission of plans for approvals before construction by a Principal Submitting Person (PSP), such as Professional Architect and Engineer

b) All existing buildings that undergo alteration and addition must also prepare plans for approvals before construction by a PSP

c) Part V of the UBBL stipulates the building’s STRUCTURAL requirements related to the design and specifications of materials, loadings, foundation and superstructure

According to Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia(PAM) president Ar Ezumi Harzani in a statement, hotels must possess a Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CFO) or Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) apart from the essential operating business licenses.

He also elaborated that buildings which are more than five storeys and more than 10 years old must be inspected by a Structural Engineer. Hotels that have undergone renovation and additions are subjected to CFO/CCC accordingly, and designated buildings such as hotels are required to undergo an annual fire audit before they are issued with a Fire Certificate “FC” by the Fire and Rescue Department.

Meanwhile, Architect Centre Sdn Bhd architect Ar Anthony Lee highlighted that hotel owners should avoid carrying out any structural changes without first obtaining building approvals, fulfil the requirements stipulated in the UBBL and FSA, maintain all mechanical and electrical installations in the property.

Hotel owners are advised to contact PAM or Architect Centre Sdn Bhd Building Inspectors to carry out safety compliance inspections and reports for their buildings, if in doubt of the building safety.